| NATIONAL CRUISE VACATION WEEK - THE WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SALE! | | Encore Cruises brings you all the great deals and more | |
 |
| Amr Younes, vice president, Encore Cruises; Lisa Connell, director of sales & marketing, Royal Caribbean; Derek Lloyd, director of business development, Norwegian Cruise Line; Suzanne Vincent, regional sales manager, Celebrity Cruises & William Beaumer, director, international sales, Carnival Cruise Lines |
|
It’s National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW) and Encore Cruises, together with its cruise line partners, is getting in on the action, offering deals galore. Known as ‘the world’s largest cruise sale’, last year NCVW generated $55 million in cruise sales and more than $7 million in commissions for participating agents; Encore Cruises wants to help agents grow their sales by being their resource for all of the great deals available, and then some.
 |
| Amr Younes, vice president, Encore Cruises |
|
“NCVW is the largest cruise sale event of the year and a great opportunity for agents to really grow their cruise sales and client base,” said Amr Younes, vice president, Encore Cruises. “From an Encore Cruises perspective, as the only dedicated cruise tour operator in Canada, we use this as an opportunity to showcase and support our 14 cruise line partners, while offering both agents and consumers the ‘best of the best’ in deals and promotions, sweetening things further with exclusive offers of our own.”
In terms of what agents and consumers can look forward to this NCVW, “The offers and special promotions vary from cruise line to cruise line, with deals such as savings of $1,000 per stateroom, onboard credits, reduced deposits and bonus commissions, to name just a few,” continued Younes. “All of our cruise line partners have something really special planned and I predict this year’s event will really set the pace for sales for the coming year.”
Carnival Cruise Lines is one such partner and is a huge supporter of NCVW. “(NCVW) is important to Carnival because with over 6,800 travel agencies participating, it creates great visibility,” said Willy Beumer, director, international sales, Carnival Cruise Lines.
 |
| Willy Beaumer, director, international sales, Carnival Cruise Lines |
|
“Travel Agents have a great opportunity to reach new clients and increase sales by hosting live and/or virtual travel events, which in turn reminds past cruisers and explains to cruise rookies the tremendous value that both the travel agent and the cruise industry offers.”
“To add to the excitement,” continued Beumer, “Carnival has exclusive offers for new and returning clients during NCVW to help close the sale.” This includes up to $300 cash back per stateroom on Fun Select rates and 50% reduced deposits for new cruisers on select sailings. Clients will receive $100pp (up to $200 per stateroom) for three to five-day cruises and $150pp (up to $300 per stateroom) for cruises lasting six days or longer. This cash can be used anywhere onboard – photos, shore excursions, shops and more. For past guests, Carnival is offering exclusive past guest rates, two category upgrades and 50% reduced deposits.
 |
| Suzanne Vincent, regional sales manager, Celebrity Cruises |
|
Celebrity Cruises is another Encore partner and NCVW participant. “Agents should take advantage of (NCVW) as Celebrity is offering a wide range of product and dates and it is a great opportunity for them to really shine,” said Suzanne Vincent, regional sales manager, Celebrity Cruises. “Our campaign this year focuses on recognizing loyal guests – our Captain’s Club members – who will receive a higher onboard credit. This offer provides agents with the opportunity to better target who they contact first – they can reach out to existing customers, tell them what offers are out there; it’s a great time
to start building next year’s business.”
Celebrity’s specials cover all sailings of seven nights or longer in Alaska, the Caribbean and Europe from Jan. 1, 2013 to April 20, 2014. New customers and/or non-Loyalty guests will receive onboard credits valued at $50 per cabin for inside and ocean view, $100 for veranda, $150 per cabin for Concierge and Aqua class and $200 per cabin for suites. Loyalty guests (Captain’s Club members) will receive $100 per cabin for inside and ocean view, $150 for veranda, $200 for Concierge and Aqua class and $250 for suites. What’s more, Encore is throwing in a 50 per cent reduced deposit. “And since the Caribbean is one of the product offerings, this could be combined with Encore’s Best Value program for double the amenities for those booking a veranda cabin or higher,” commented Vincent.
 |
| Lisa Connell, director of sales & marketing, Royal Caribbean |
|
For Royal Caribbean, October’s NCVW enables them to provide “great opportunities every week for our valuable travel partners to grow their cruise business,” said Lisa Connell, director of sales & marketing, Canada for Royal Caribbean International & Azamara Club Cruises. “Our campaign this year is centered on getting agents motivated and engaged to close more cruise sales through a much more personalized approach. We see very positive results from agencies that are inspired to take action and promote themselves through in-person cruise nights, consumer shows, one-to-one marketing and even consumer webinars.”
What is Lisa’s advice to agents? “Every agency has a client database and many are just not selling cruises; my advice is to take advantage of this time and offer an exciting option that can not only boost sales but boost a more loyal client base. Cruising has the highest guest satisfaction and by simply offering a cruise vacation as an option, you will close more sales and find that your cost acquisition drops because once you have a cruise client, they will repeat more often and refer friends and family to you.”
For NCVW, Royal Caribbean is featuring a webinar on www.cruisingpower.com (look for the ‘Working with Us’ tab at the top right-hand corner of the homepage, then click on ‘webinars’ > Royal Caribbean > NCVW & Planning a Successful Cruise Event) designed to assist agents in taking advantage of everything this event has to offer, which includes such specials as a savings offer of up to $200 per couple plus a 50 per cent reduced deposit. What’s more, when it is booked through Encore Cruises, customers also receive a Pandora ship charm.
If Freestyle Cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line is more your (or your client’s) cup of tea, there are deals to be had here as well, available exclusively through Encore Cruises. When booking anywhere between Oct. 22nd and 31st, customers can take advantage of an onboard credit of up to $275 (Encore exclusive!) and a 50 per cent reduced deposit plus e-coupons worth over $300.
 |
| Derek Lloyd, director of business development, Norwegian Cruise Line |
|
“Having a dedicated week like CLIA's world's largest cruise sale provides a great opportunity for the industry, in one voice, to tell the story about why cruising is such a great value for Canadian's hard earned travel dollars,” Derek Lloyd, director, business development, Norwegian Cruise Line. “At Norwegian, we're a cruise line that is primarily focused on North America – both from the perspective of where we sail, and also where most of our passengers come from. We all know how long the Canadian winters can seem, and we all need a break from the snow in the middle of it. Now is a great time for us Canadians to plan our winter vacations – there's still space on the ships meaning people can get their first choice of itineraries and accommodations – plus with the sale it's a great opportunity to take advantage of the best deals of the year.”
More than anything though, it's a great excuse to pick up the phone and talk to that client live – tell them about the great deals that are out there,” continued Lloyd. “Travel agents need to be thought of as trusted advisors, and a phone call to say "I was thinking about you, and here's something that you might be interested in" goes a long way to that end. Don't let them wait until that blizzard in February, or after 25 days of straight rain, to make their winter vacation plans!”
All of the specials listed above are available through Encore Cruises, and in many cases clients will also receive exclusive extras – such as the Pandora charm and additional onboard credits. What’s more, agents will earn valuable TC Loyalty Points when booking online. Just visit www.encorecruises.com any time this week to find out more and book.
|
|
